Day: June 29, 2024

MANILA: Mobile payments service GCash has assured its customers that their funds are safe as investigations on the alleged data leak continues.

‘Safety and trust are our top priorities. We are very proactive in making sure that our customers’ accounts and money remain safe,’ GCash chief marketing officer Neil Trinidad told the Philippine News Agency on the sidelines of the GCash Futurecast 2024 on Friday night.

This was after the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said it had begun its probe into the alleged data breach on Friday afternoon.

On Thursday, GCash checked its know-your-customer (KYC) data and found no indication of any data compromise.

The inspection was in response to a report made by Deep Web Konek that threat actor KryptonZombie has uploaded about 100 gigabytes of compromised data from GCash, such as mobile numbers, IDs used for KYC processes, GSave account numbers, signatures, and selfie IDs.

‘We do safety and protection by introducing lots of secure technologies that
help do that. Last year, we introduced ‘double safe,’ which now uses, beyond MPIN (mobile personal identification number) and OTP (one-time pin), face verification to make sure that the person accessing the account is exactly the account holder,’ Trinidad said.

‘Today, we also introduced Online PaySafe because we know that many scams today happen with victims falling prey to websites that are spoofing well-known commence sites. It redirects you to the GCash app so again it goes through all the secure measures.’

Citing that education plays an important role in resolving cybersecurity issues, Trinidad said the company conducts education campaigns on keeping MPINs and OTPs safe, and that they also cooperate with the CICC, Philippine National Police, and National Bureau of Investigation.

Earlier, GCash reported that it had taken down 1,900 phishing sites from January 2023 to May 2024. It also rejected 3.2 million account takeover attempts and blocked 5.5 million fraudulent GCash accounts for the same period.

Futurecast is an annual event where GCash unveils innovations in financial technology (fintech) in the country.

To provide Filipinos additional ways to pay, GCash introduced Tap to Pay, which allows daily commuters to pay bus, MRT (Manila Metro Rail Transit System), or LRT (Light Railway Transit) fares with their smartphones, and WatchPay to scan their Huawei smartwatches to pay their purchases.

Other fintech features introduced during the Futurecast are Send Money Protect, Money Manager, GScore AI, Coach AI, GImpact, GFarm, GCash Jr. with Parental Control, GSave Jr., International Bank Cash In, GTravel, and GCash Tourist.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Heavy rainfall soaked the southern resort island of Jeju on Saturday, leading to the closure of trails to Mount Halla and the cancellation or delay of nearly a hundred flights.

Accumulated precipitation in some parts of Mount Halla at the center of Jeju had ranged from 177.5 millimeters to 241.5 mm as of 7 p.m., with rain of up to 162.5 mm recorded on other parts of the island, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

Seogwipo in southern Jeju and Seongsan in eastern Jeju received rainfall of 55.5 mm and 81 mm per hour, respectively, marking their highest and second-highest hourly precipitation on record for June.

The rain resulted in the closure of seven trails up Mount Halla and flooded 32 houses, stores, roads and basement parking lots.

Five people urgently evacuated their vehicles stranded on flooded roads in Seogwipo.

At Jeju International Airport, 30 flights to and from Jeju were canceled due to bad weather conditions at airports outside the island, including Gimhae International Airp
ort, while some 70 others were delayed.

Authorities also canceled operations of passenger ferries connecting Jeju to the nearby island of Wando for Sunday, due to heavy monsoon rain expected in the area.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

MANILA: The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Saturday the repatriation from Myanmar of four Filipinos who were recruited by a compatriot to work as customer service representatives of a company engaged in online scams.

The Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) said in a news release that the latest batch consisting of two women and two men arrived June 26 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City.

The victims, all in their 30’s, admitted leaving the country as tourists bound for Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan. They were then transported to Myanmar via boat.

‘It’s sad to hear that our own kababayan (compatriot) facilitates the trafficking other Filipinos. Dinadala pa sa kapahamakan ang kababayan nila (They put the lives of their compatriots in danger),’ BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement.

The victims said they paid hefty penalties (about PHP127,000) before they were released. Two did not receive their last salaries.

‘We are now grapp
ling again with the recurring scheme that has victimized many unsuspecting Filipinos,’ the BI chief said. ‘But we will not cease enforcing strict departure protocols and launching a strong communication campaign aimed at informing the public to combat this recurring modus.’

Source: Philippines News Agency

WASHINGTON: Former US president Barack Obama on Friday backed President Joe Biden despite his poor performance during Thursday night’s presidential debate against Donald Trump.

“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” Obama said on X.

In the first US presidential debate of 2024, Biden, who was Obama’s vice president from 2009-2017, seemingly struggled to talk, tripped over his words, misspoke and lost his train of thought.

The debate reignited concerns among Democrats about the 81-year-old’s fitness for another term in office.

“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Obama said.

“Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight – and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”

Biden has acknowledged age and bad debate performance, but vowed to
defeat Trump during the elections on Nov. 5.

“I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know – I know how to tell the truth,” he told a rally in North Carolina on Friday.

Not age, but competence

Trump, meanwhile, said he had a “big victory” during his debate with Biden.

“As you saw on television last night we had a big victory against a man who is trying to destroy our country,” Trump said at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia.

His remarks came after Biden acknowledged his age and bad performance in the debate, but vowed to win the November election.

“It’s not his age, it’s his competence,” Trump said, adding: “He’s not respected anywhere in the world.”

Source: Philippines News Agency

LAPU-LAPU CITY: The United Nations (UN) Tourism lauded the country’s powerful slogan ‘Love the Philippines’ that attracts travelers to learn more about Filipino culture and destinations.

‘The good thing that I observed here is that, you know we associate with the Philippines ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines.’ I love that catchphrase. But now, I see the ‘Love the Philippines’ is very significant,’ UN Tourism Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Harry Hwang said in an interview on the sidelines of the 36th Joint Commission Meeting of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the Commission for South Asia (CAP-CSA) here on Friday.

Hwang agreed that the Philippines cannot focus only on the fun aspects of its destinations, given the country’s cultural and historical wealth, and most importantly, its people.

He said Filipinos ‘know how to welcome the people” and conveyed how he felt after visiting this province.

‘It’s very right, the slogan, and only the Philippines can do that because when you sa
y love Korea, love Japan, it doesn’t come up with the association,’ he said.

‘And now, (with) the Love the Philippines, people understand why you’re saying that. So, I think it’s a very powerful tourism tagline,’ he added.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) introduced its slogan ‘Love the Philippines’ last year to emphasize that the country has a lot more to offer beyond fun such as its natural assets, history and rich culture.

Along with the new campaign, the DOT sought to increase travel activities in other regions by helping them develop lesser-known tourism destinations.

Touring Cebu

Hwang, together with the more than 500 foreign and local delegates who attended the back-to-back UN events here this week, joined a technical tour organized by the DOT.

The tour showcased the breathtaking beaches of Camotes Islands; the rich culinary and heritage sites in the towns of Dalaguete and Argao; and the ecotourism spots at Aloguinsan.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said the destinations are a reflection of t
he island’s efforts to sustain its rich culture and sustainable tourism measures, offering insights on how other regions and even other countries’ can replicate these best practices.

One of the destinations, Aloguinsan, stands as the sole Philippine recipient of the prestigious 2021 UN Tourism World’s Best Tourism Village award, acknowledging its community-based ecotourism efforts focused on the Bojo River in Barangay Bojo.

In Argao and Dalaguete, meanwhile, the DOT drew attention to the well-preserved Spanish-era churches and local cuisine that gives identity to Cebu province.

In an interview, UN Tourism for Asia and the Pacific senior officer Sinyoung An said it is also the Filipino people that made a lasting mark on him during his second visit to Cebu.

‘What’s interesting to me here is the Filipino people. The big smiles and your mabuhay (long live) and salamat (thank you) gestures are impressive. I think the best asset for Philippine tourism is its people,’ he said, after the Cabecera Tour in Argao on
Thursday.

‘Regardless of how beautiful nature is or how great historical heritage is, after all, it’s the people that move people’s hearts,’ he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Expelled Negros Oriental congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. is expected to be extradited to the Philippines late July despite his plan to appeal before the Timor-Leste courts, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Saturday.

DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said Teves’ camp has 30 days to contest the decision of the Court of Appeals of Timor-Leste.

‘So if they exhaust the 30 days, which we anticipate they will do, then it will be after the filing, we will see kung ano ang magiging desisyon ng [Timor-Leste] Court of Appeals (the decision of the Court of Appeals). Around the last week of July, makikita na natin si Ginoong Teves dito sa Pilipinas (we will see Mr. Teves back in the Philippines),’ Clavano said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

Clavano said the Philippine government secured victory in the extradition case because Teves’ arguments were unfounded, particularly his assertions that he would face the supposed death penalty in the Philippines and that the country has unfavorab
le human rights conditions.

‘We do not have a death penalty here in the Philippines. We also have had certain reforms and efforts in human rights, protection of human rights,’ Clavano explained.

He believed the court would affirm its decision once the motion for reconsideration is filed by Teves’ camp.

“I think it’s high time that they face the cases of multiple murders in the Philippines,’ Clavano said.

Teves’ legal counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, earlier said that the extradition decision is “still appealable” and a “recourse that we intend to take.”

‘Then we still have the option of political asylum,’ Topacio said.

Teves is facing 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder and four counts of attempted murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 in connection with the March 4, 2023 shootings in Pamplona, Negros Oriental.

He fled to Dili and applied for political asylum.

In March, he was arrested at a golf driving range.

Early this month, he was released from Becora Prison but was r
e-arrested and transferred to the Polícia Nacional of Timor-Leste.

In August last year, the Anti-Terrorism Council designated Teves and his younger brother, former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves, as terrorists over their alleged involvement in several murder incidents and harassment in the province in the past years when they were still in public office.

Pryde Henry was likewise arrested in Barangay Taclobo, Dumaguete City on June 20 over his alleged involvement in terrorism activities. He posted bail of PHP600,000.

Source: Philippines News Agency